Skip to main content

All Lions: Top NFL Combine Storylines

What to follow as the NFL combine begins Monday.

The NFL Draft cycle will heat up this week as the Scouting Combine begins. 

Beginning Monday, all eyes will be on Indianapolis as the best Draft prospects take their turns showcasing their strength and athletic ability in on-field workouts in front of evaluators from all 32 teams. 

Workouts officially begin Thursday.

There are plenty of storylines surrounding the Detroit Lions, as they have been very successful in the Draft under the leadership of general manager Brad Holmes

Which direction the team plans to go remains to be seen, though both Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell could give hints during their media availabilities on Tuesday. Campbell is scheduled to speak at 10 a.m., while Holmes will go to the podium at 4 p.m.

It will also be intriguing to follow the media availabilities of other NFC North teams, as Minnesota, Green Bay and Chicago will also be well-represented in Indianapolis. Chicago is currently in the most interesting position, as it possesses the top pick in this year's Draft. 

Minnesota is also in a precarious position, as starting quarterback Kirk Cousins is set to be a free agent while rehabbing a torn Achilles. 

One of the more popular positions that Detroit could target is cornerback, so the top prospects at this position will be worth following. 

Among the best are Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell, Clemson's Nate Wiggins and the Alabama duo of Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry. 

Elsewhere, the trenches will be worth monitoring. Detroit could stand to add depth on both the offensive and defensive lines. On offense, prospects such as Jackson Powers-Johnson and Zach Frazier are potential fits.

Defensively, Texas' T'Vondre Sweat is looking to build upon a strong Senior Bowl performance, while his teammate Byron Murphy II has first-round potential, as well.

Here are other top Lions stories on Feb. 26. 

  • The Athletic's Colton Pouncy listed several intriguing points surrounding the Lions at the combine, including hopes for insight on Detroit's new assistant coaches.
  • NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his latest Top-50 prospect rankings on the eve of the combine.
  • Lions Wire conducted a scouting report of Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter, and examined how he could fit in the Lions' secondary.
  • T.J. Lang and Jon Jansen evaluated how the Lions can improve this offseason on their latest "Necessary Roughness" podcast episode.